Birthday Blues Of A 500 Year Old God
by Gabriel Prince
Summary: Yato is shocked when he finds the shrine Hiyori made for him destroyed during a fight with phantoms. The gang finds out it's only a few days before his 500th birthday and decide to do something extra special for him. Yato x Hiyori - Kazuma x Bishamon - Hints of Yukine x Nora and Kofuku x Daikoku.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Noragami world created by Adachitoki. I do not own any of these characters.**

 **This story takes place after the second season of Noragami so if you have NOT watched it, there will be spoilers.**

"Sekki!" Yukine felt the energy shift within him as he transformed into his master's weapons—a pair of long blades wrapped in bandages. Since Yukine's transformation into a blessed vessel, the bond between the god and Regalia had deepened. They could both feel it—there was a trust that hadn't been present before. Yukine's blade edges were sharper than ever and cut the phantoms that opposed them now easily.

Yato spoke the holy words of purification and could feel them emanating off Yukine in powerful waves. Yato allowed those waves to crash down onto their enemies. Yato smirked as more than a dozen phantoms were cut down in seconds with a blinding series of strikes.

"REND!"

Every phantom exploded in a burst of light, their darkness permanently expelled from the land.

"Yukine." Yato spoke his Regalia's name and Yukine returned to his human form, stretching out his shoulder in a series of circles. Since his transformation, he felt stronger than ever but the phantom numbers had been increasing lately and neither Yato nor Yukine had gotten much of a break.

"Wow! Well done my lovely Regalia!" Yato tackled Yukine, rubbing cheeks with the annoyed teen. Yato laughed happily and Yukine couldn't help but smile for a second. He knew the burden the gods carried were great, but Yato never showed it. He always stayed overly positive and worked harder than anyone Yukine had ever known.

Yato hummed as he skipped back to the tiny plot of land that had been given to him for the itty bitty little shrine Hiyori had built him. Yukine followed slowly behind, contemplating his battle with the phantoms just now. It was something that Kazuma had taught him to do so that Yukine could always be growing and getting better.

By the time Yukine caught up with Yato, the god was huddled over the shrine. Yukine shook his head-Yato could be such a child sometimes-But as the boy approached, he noticed something wasn't right. Yato's shoulders were shaking. He ran up to the god and that's when he saw it.

The little shrine had been smashed to bits by the battle that had taken place. Yato's face was hidden but Yukine could see the little droplets hit the ground below his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

That morning Hiyori had planned to get up, get ready and go to school but things didn't work out that way at all. She was already outside her body before she even woke up. She had even gotten all ready and was about to walk out when she noticed her body still lying in bed.

"Damnit..." Hiyori sighed but recovered quickly, went back into her closet and picked out a much cuter outfit than her school uniform.

"I guess I'll go see everyone then." She smiled to herself.

She opened her window and hopped out of her house to jump off to Kofuku's place when she saw Yukine only a few blocks away, heading to her house.

"Yukine!" She called down and landed neatly beside him. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hiyori! I was just about to come see you."

"Yeah, I saw you walking while heading over to you guys. What's going on?"

"Well, actually..."

Yukine told Hiyori about the little shrine and how it had gotten smashed in their most recent fight with a horde of phantoms.

"Yato's been really quiet and out of sorts lately. I'm worried about him..." Yukine confessed, "On top of it all, I just found out from Kazuma that it's going to be Yato's 500th birthday in a few days. Imagine...500 years and he hadn't had a single shrine. Then you made one for him and it gets smashed just a few days before his birthday."

Hiyori had a funny look on her face. _500 years…._ She was thinking.

"I was wondering Hiyori...could you maybe make him another for his birthday?"

"Hmm…tell you what Yukine. Let's do something better..."

* * *

Yato stayed curled up in a ball under a large comforter the whole day, refusing to eat or speak to anyone. Kofuku tried to cheer him up but all she managed to do was drop a pan on his head; an iron pan...that was still hot...well it was actually on fire...and she tried to put it out with some water (that turned out to be sake)...and then it exploded. Daikoku came back from grocery shopping absolutely furious.

"How many times do I have to tell you NOT to cook when I'm out?!"

"But Daikokuu – I was hungry!"

"That's why I went shopping! For food to cook for you!"

"But I wanted to make something for Yato too so that he would feel better!"

"You know better Kofuku!"

Now Yato was sad and wet. He had still been on fire when the shocked Daikoku had gotten home. Kofuku had immediately tried to use Daikoku to fan the fire off Yato, but only managed to make a bigger fire AND open a portal to the underworld in their backyard.

She called Daikoku back to human form and let him _literally_ put out all the fires that his god had created in his short half-an-hour absence with a hose—including the one on Yato's screaming body.

Once the portal had been closed, the fires put out, the wreckage cleaned and Yato had showered and slathered in ointment did Daikoku relax a little. But now he had to worry about fixing the shrine. He decided to worry about that tomorrow and proceeded to cook everyone dinner like the dutiful Regalia he was.

Kofuku hovered over his shoulder curiously and snacked around the kitchen while she talked incessantly about whatever had peaked her interest lately. Being the god of poverty and misfortune was no fun as she couldn't go out normally like all the other gods could. Most of the time she was confined and so, naturally, she became bored. Daikoku was her source of main entertainment and was the dumping grounds for her rambling monologues about nothing in particular.

Any other Regalia would have hated the position, but Daikoku actually loved the role he got to play for his god very much. In his previous life, he had been like a father to many troubled kids and had ended up being killed while trying to save one of them. In this life as a Regalia, he was able to continue that treasured role; and it was because of the experience he had in his previous life that made Daikoku perfectly suited to be Kofuku's Regalia. Because the gods knew that Kofuku could be even MORE troublesome than a horde of teenage rebellious boys.

"Kofuku, have you apologized to Yato?" Daikoku interrupted her for a moment. A surprised look took over Kofuku's face—she had totally forgot about the moping god.

Currently, Yato sat in a corner with ointment and ice packs all over and looked exactly like an irritated cat. If he had a tail, it would have been furiously wagging back and forth.

"Yatooo—I'm sorry I set you on fire! Do you forgive me?" Kofuku sang sadly.

"It's fine Kofuku." Yato didn't even look up at her.

"Yato…? Are you really okay? Do the burns hurt?"

They didn't hurt. A little fire from the human world wouldn't do much to a god. It was something else that was bothering Yato.

He kept picturing that little shrine that Hiyori had worked so hard to make for him—going so far as to even hurt her fragile hands—now shattered into dozens of tiny pieces. Yato carried every single broken part with him in his scarf now. He hadn't left until he had made sure he had picked up every piece he could find.

Tomorrow he would go to the store and use whatever money he had to buy supplies to put the little shrine back together again. He didn't care how long it would take. He needed it back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

Yukine reviewed Hiyori's plan in his head.

 _Alright Yukine, your job is to distract Yato alright? Bring him to Capypa Land and keep him there as late as you can! Meanwhile, we'll be working on his present._

Hiyori had somehow managed to get the goddess Bishamon and her entire force of Regalia's on board to help build the shrine. At first, Bishamon was stubborn from longtime habits but then—with a little convincing on Kazuma's part—she agreed that it would be a good way to thank the Lesser God of Calamity for everything he had done. With all her help, they would have no problem finishing Yato's present!

Yukine entered Kofuku's place looking for his god, "Hey, have either of you seen Yato?" He asked Kofuku and Daifoku.

"He went out early this morning. He said he had some shopping to do." Daifoku commented.

Yukine felt an irritation rise at that. Whenever the words 'shopping' and 'Yato' went together, it usually meant the god was out buying some useless charm or random ornament that a con artist scumbag said Yato 'absolutely needed' and would proceed to easily convince the dimwitted god of that. If only Yato could get his weird, spontaneous spending habits in line, he probably would have had plenty of money by now. Yukine rubbed away the headache at his temples that was starting to build.

"Did he say where he was going?"

Kofuku shook her head, "Nope. But he had that broken shrine with him. Yatty probably went to buy things to fix it."

"I see. Thanks guys!" Yukine ran out in the direction of the local market Yato frequented often. Maybe he could help him fix the shrine before taking him to Capypa Land. That would help buy the others more time.

Just as Yukine arrived, Yato was walking out of one of the shops with a paper bag in his hand. Yukine ran up to him.

"Yato! I've been looking for you."

"Yukine...what's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing."

Yato didn't look convinced, "You rarely come seeking me out. Is something wrong?"

Yukine shook his head quickly and prayed to any god but Yato that it was convincing, "No no. I just got something from Hiyori. She said that she originally got them for her and a friend, but the friend canceled and Hiyori became busy with something else." Yukine held out the Capypa tickets.

Yato's eyes lit up for a second, "Tickets for Capypa Land?!"

"Yeah, Hiyori told me to use them to take you."

"Hiyori can't come?"

"She's busy today."

"I see." Yato seemed to think it over before replying, "Thank you Yukine, but maybe you can take Kofuku or something. She rarely gets to go out. I need to work on something today."

"The shrine?" Yukine said. Yato look surprised that Yukine seemed to know him so well, "Let me help you then. We can go after it's done."

Yato's face became like an excited child's, "Really?! Wow! Yukine, when did you become so good? How lucky am I to have such a wonderful Regalia!" The god giggled happily.

Yukine internally patted himself on the back. This would give the others enough time to finish their project.

* * *

It took Yato and Yukine a good portion of the day to finish the shrine. By the end, Yukine's fingers were bleeding from all the random splinters and his eyes were heavy with tiredness from having to glue such small parts together again. But they did it. They rebuilt the little shrine.

It didn't look that pretty, but it was whole again.

Yato looked at it warmly, tears starting to form in his eyes. He hugged his Regalia tight, "Yukine—thank you!"

Yukine felt proud. He had helped put something broken back together again—much like Yato had done for him when Yukine had become tainted and had almost killed the god. Yukine hoped this would help repay that enormous debt a little.

After all fingers had been bandaged and supplies put away, the shrine was put in a safe place within Daifuku's care—NOT Kofuku's.

"To Capypa Land?" Yato said, his eyes gleaming.

"To Capypa Land." Yukine agreed and Yato squealed like a little girl.


	4. Chapter 4

**Special shout-out to DoubleDeuce and GodOfPovery1567 for the awesome reviews! It makes my day when I can read such nice things from people checking out my stories. Thank you a bunch! I hope you continue to read and enjoy my writing. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

Hiyori watched in amazement as Bishamon and her main Regalias worked with militaristic precision and unity, commanding all the others Regalias on what to do based on what held highest priority. From the foundation to the framing to making sure to leave spots where the natural light could come in from outside...It was a monumental task to be doing something like this but Bishamon and her Regalias made it look easy. Hiyori did whatever she could, jumping around in her spirit form to bring supplies, snacks or water to the workers. It wouldn't be a very big temple, but it would be plenty of room for Yato and Yukine to live comfortable without having to spend all their time at Kofuku's shrine anymore.

Hiyori hopped over to Bishamon who gratefully took one of the pork-filled rice balls that Daikoku had made for all of them.

"Thank you Miss Iki."

Hiyori nodded and watched the beauty devour the rice ball, "I should be the one thanking you and all your Regalias. We would have never been able to do something like this without all of you."

Bishamon glanced at Hiyori curiously, then stared off at the construction site before them.

"I know I was stubborn at first, but I'm really glad you asked us." Bishamon licked the last few rice grains from her fingers, "Yato has done a lot for me but I just couldn't find the right way to thank him. You gave me the perfect opportunity. Kazuma is happy too."

Hiyori followed Bishamon's gaze to her closest Regalia, Kazuma. The young man was diligently overseeing the installation of the tile roof. Hiyori noticed that Bishamon looked at the Regalia with great fondness and a certain softness that she didn't have while looking at other Regalias. Kazuma suddenly looked over and met his god's gaze with perfect timing. He smiled and nodded. Bishamon flushed.

"You two must be close." Hiyori observed.

This took Bishamon by surprise and Hiyori witnessed the goddess go from calm and authoritative to nervous and stuttering, "W-what makes you say something like that?"

"Oh, um, well I just thought that since you had been together for so long...he's your oldest Reglaia isn't he?"

"Oh! I see. Yes..." Bishamon took a deep breath, "Kazuma was a part of my last clan before Yato purged their tainted spirits from the lands..." Bishamon's face fell as she spoke of the event. She no longer hated Yato for executing all of them, but it still affected her when remembering. "Kazuma was the only one who wasn't tainted back then...and he's the only one who has ever transformed into Blessed Vessel for me."

"From what Yato has told me, it seems like a pretty big deal when a Regalia transforms."

Bishamon nodded, "It's one of the greatest honors you can receive as a god. Only the most loyal, honorable and skilled Regalias can transform into a Blessed Vessels..." She looked at Hiyori again, changing the subject suddenly. "I've been curious though Miss Iki, what's your relationship with the God of Calamity?"

It was Hiyori's turn to be shocked and self-conscious, "What? Oh! Well...it's...complicated."

"Is it?" The goddess wondered.

"Well, he's supposed to help me get back to normal so I don't keep popping out of my body at random. And we just end up spending a lot of time together. He and Yukine have both become precious friends to me."

"When did that start happening? You leaving your body." Bishamon asked.

"When I thought Yato was a human, and I 'saved' him from a bus that was about to run him over. I ended up getting hit instead and I've been popping out of my body ever since."

Bishamon contemplated this for a moment then frowned, "You know...the episodes would probably stop easily from a simple procedure."

"Really?!" Hiyori exclaimed.

"But it would mean cutting your ties with Yato—meaning you wouldn't remember anything about him."

Hiyori froze, "W...hat?"

One of the Regalias helping with the floors called to Bishamon for help. The goddess spoke a quick apology to Hiyori before running off.

Hiyori just stood there, shocked.

Had Yato known?

* * *

Yukine always made fun of Yato for loving Capypa Land but—in all honesty—it was awesome. The God-Regalia duo flitted from shop to shop with hummingbird-like movements, rejoicing in all the Capypa products everywhere. Before Yukine knew it, they had bought matching Capypa mugs, Capypa pajamas and Capypa pillows.

Yukine froze in the middle of looking at a Capypa beanie with the big letters, 'CAPYPA-LOVER 4 LIFE' printed on it and realized what they were doing. They barely had any money left after their shopping extravaganza! Was this what it was like to be in Yato's brain when he bought useless knick-knacks from complete quacks?

Yato was heading to the cash register happily with yet another Capypa product of some sort that they definitely didn't need when Yukine practically tackled him, "No! No more! We have to get out now!" And Yukine dragged him out of the shop.

They both stood outside with shopping bags on either arm, "We went too far..." Yukine felt the regret sink in. Only a few 5-yen coins remained in Yato's bottle.

"No such thing at Capypa Land!" Yato laughed, "Come on! The parade is going to start soon."

The two rushed off as the sun was starting to set. Meanwhile, Hiyori and the others had just finished Yato's birthday present.


	5. Chapter 5

**Special thanks and shout-out to DaisyMay and the mysterious 'Guest' for the lovely reviews as well as to everyone who has followed/favorited this story. Thank you bunches!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

The parade lit up the entire street with glittering lights and the music and performances lifted the spirits of everyone who attended—except Yato. He kept thinking about Hiyori and the last time he had been here with her. She had acted so strangely...but in the end—despite Hiyori being so against it at first—she told Yato that she wanted to spend more time with him watching the parade. It had made Yato so incredibly happy. Too happy. He had such a beautiful memory being here with Hiyori that nothing else compared; and being here now without her felt pointless.

"Yato?" Yukine had noticed Yato's distant expression. Usually Yato was the loudest one in the crowd, yelling to Capypas how much he loved them. Not today. He seemed to be lost in thought. "Are you okay?"

"I was just thinking how I wished Hiyori could be here to enjoy this with us. It's not the same without her."

Yukine stared seriously at the god. There had been something he'd been wanting to ask Yato for a long time now, "Yato, what are your feelings for Hiyori?"

Yato's breath caught and his god-heart stopped beating for a moment.

"You always talk about her like you miss her when she's away. You mope when she's not around; you freak out if you think she's forgotten you; you become ecstatic when you get to see her and spend time with her...Yato, are you in love with Hiyori?"

* * *

The pair walked back from Capypa Land in silence. Yato was still thinking about everything Yukine said and Yukine was praying that he had bought enough time for Hiyori and the others. He was also a little sad, but he didn't let the feeling overcome him—he didn't want to sting Yato.

Truth be told, Yukine had had a bit of a crush on Hiyori for a long time, but it was nothing compared to the way Yato looked at Hiyori (and Hiyori looked at Yato). There was something special there that couldn't be denied and Yukine knew that. He wouldn't let selfish feelings get in the way of something like that. Besides, he didn't know how Nora would react. She had kissed him once, and since Yato had let her go, she had stayed away for the most part...but there was one time Yukine ran into her again and they had talked—sincerely. She apologized for everything she had done and explained that she simply cared for Yato and wanted to protect him even if it didn't seem that way sometimes.

"You could say he's like a brother to me..." She smiled sadly when she had spoken to Yukine. At the end of their conversation, she had given the blond-haired Regalia a hug and thanked him for listening to her.

Yukine didn't have any dirty thoughts or anything about the Nora, but being so close to her made his heart jump. He wondered if she would be sad hearing that Yukine once had feelings for Hiyori? For some reason, he didn't want Nora to be sad, no matter how much trouble she had caused them.

Yato had found out about the interactions between the Regalia and the Nora and warned Yukine to keep his distance, ' _She may act good and kind but she can also be manipulative and cruel. I've known Nora for a long time...don't trust her easily Yukine._ _Remember that she wanted to destroy you at one time when you were blighted rather than help. Remember that she wanted to replace you as my primary Shinki. Don't forget these things because if you do...she'll use your sympathy against you.'_

Yukine understood what Yato had told him, but he also wondered what Nora's story was. What had caused her to become the way she was? Why did she choose the path of a stray Nora rather than a faithful Regalia?

"Hey you two!" Kofuku called out. They had arrived at her place already. "How was Capypa Land?"

Yato responded, "It was great!" He said with a giant smile, "So many Capypas! And we even bought some things!" He held up the bags full of their Capypa merchandise with pride.

Both Yato and Kofuku were great at covering up their true emotional states. Yukine was quiet as he thought about Nora and Daikoku was quiet as he thought about what Kofuku had said to him just moments before Yato and Yukine had arrived.

Kofuku had been angry with him; and it wasn't her usual cutesy-angry tantrum. She had been seriously angry. Daikoku rarely saw her get like that. It had only happened a couple times before, but never with him. And the thing she had been angry about threw him for a whirl he wasn't expecting.

' _You need to stop that Daikoku! I know that in your previous life, it was your main role—but I can't be that for you! I'm different. I'm older and I know that I act like a little girl sometimes, but I am as far from that as anyone could be. You need to see that and accept it. I care about you in a way that is very un-childlike.'_

Daikoku stirred the pot of stew in front of him with a lost expression on his face, not hearing anything that was being talked about between Kofuku and Yato.

If Kofuku wasn't like a child who needed to be cared for, then what was she to Daikoku?

 _She's your god._ Daikoku told himself. _An extra-troublesome god._ He added.

Why did he feel dissatisfied with that answer? Was there something more there that he just wasn't seeing?

"I'm going to go to bed." Yato declared suddenly.

"Oh, Yatty—you're not hungry?" Kofuku asked, surprised.

"Nope."

"But you're always hungry!"

Yukine blocked the god's path, "Wait. You can't go to bed yet. There's something important I need to show you."

Yato gave a perplexed expression, "Really? Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, it can't." Yukine said stubbornly. "You have to come see it right now."

The young Regalia took his god's hand and dragged him back out toward the direction where Hiyori and the others would be waiting for them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you cuppcake for the wonderfully kind review and to everyone that has read, favorited or followed this story. I appreciate all of you!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

Everyone looked completely different from earlier. Sweaty, dirt-covered, working Regalias and Gods were now draped in either beautiful kimonos or dashing yukatas. Even Hiyori had been given an especially beautiful kimono to wear by Bishamon. Hiyori was speechless when she saw it.

"You should be the most beautiful one here." Bishamon had said. It was even more gorgeous than the one Goddess of War herself wore with its accented reds, golds and blacks depicting a battle between men.

This kimono was a deep blue base with pink and white cherry blossoms in full bloom growing along the body and sleeves; the borders were accented in a pristine white and a gentle blush reminding Hiyori of a time she had flown above the clouds during the end of a sunset; the soft remains of warmth giving the fluffy clouds their last and most beautiful colors. It made Hiyori feel serene and happy just looking at the expensive fabric.

"Are you sure?" Hiyori had asked.

Bishamon insisted that it was alright, ordered Hiyori to wash up and get changed, and sent two of her female Regalias to help Hiyori.

Hiyori returned to the newly built shrine grounds looking as if she was a Divine Goddess herself. Even the poker-faced Kazuma was surprised and impressed, "Wow Hiyori. I didn't recognize you for a second there."

"Really?" Hiyori lit up, "I owe it to the girls Bishamon sent with me. They did everything. You look great too Kazuma!"

Kazuma laughed good-naturedly, "Thank you Hiyori, but I'm dull standing next to you or Veena." He called the Goddess of War in such a familiar way that no one but him dared use.

Bishamon appeared just then, "That's because you insist on wearing these things." The goddess swiftly slipped the glasses off his face.

"Hey, wai-!" Kazuma grabbed for his glasses back but missed.

Hiyori looked at his new face, "Oh my! Kazuma you look so handsome without your glasses!"

"Right?" Bishamon agreed eagerly.

Kazuma blushed and reached to adjust his glasses as he instinctively did when he was nervous, only to pause, "Please Veena, I need those."

"Only when we're in battle." Bishamon countered.

"Yes, and who knows when phantoms might appear? I always need to be prepared."

Bishamon thought for a second, then hung the glasses on the collar of his Yukata by their frames, "Here, you can wear them like this. Then if something happens, you can easily put them on again." She smiled happily.

Kazuma sighed and reached for the glasses but Bishamon slapped his hand away, shocking the Blessed Vessel, "Just for tonight Kazuma. Please?"

Kazuma's slight flush turned into an outright blush at his Goddess's plea. Hiyori felt embarrassed herself watching the natural intimacy between the two of them and decided to leave them be and continue exploring.

Hiyori looked around in awe at the shrine's grounds. During her absence, Bishamon had turned the place into a fairytale. Paper candles had been strung from tree to tree and lined the walkway up to the shrine. The shrine itself was completely covered and surrounded by them so that it _glowed._ Hiyori guessed that a bunch had been placed within the shrine too because the paper sliding doors shone from the inside. To the left and a little ways away from the shrine, a bonfire had been started where everyone had gathered for the time being, talking and laughing with one another.

 _Everyone was here._

Tenjin and his Regalias, including Mayu who previously served Yato under the name 'Tomone'; Ebisu in his new child-form and his attendants; and of course Bishamon and her sea of Regalias with her Blessed Regalia always at her side (now glasses-less). Hiyori couldn't help but notice how good the Goddess of War and her Blessed Vessel looked side-by-side in their respective kimono and yukata.

A body suddenly crashed into her from behind, "Hiyorin!"

Hiyori recognized the voice, "Kofuku!" She turned around and saw the intimidating and composed Daikoku not far behind. He held a hand up in greeting. "And Daikoku too! You both made it!"

Kofuku let go of Hiyori and giggled, "Of course we did! Sorry we're a little late Hiyorin. Yukine told us to come just before he left. He took Yatty the long way so we could get here first." Kofuku took in the sights of the birthday festival.

A little ways off, a few of the Regalias had lit some of the sparklers from the pile of fireworks for later. A delicious smell wafted by and Hiyori turned to see some of the older Regalias expertly turning Takoyaki batter, spinning it into little balls to be cooked and skewered. Suddenly, Hiyori understood why Bishamon did what she did—why she turned as many souls into Regalias as she could—it was so they could experience living again, but also to be able to have a community to spend time and grow with.

"Woooow~. You did a lot Hiyorin...and everyone is so pretty all dressed up! Especially you." Kofuku looked down to her own plain dress, "I don't look dressed for the occasion at all."

"Oh, well I actually got this from Bishamon. You might want to go ask her if she has any extras. She was the one who provided a lot of the kimonos and yukatas for everyone."

"Really?" Kofuku exclaimed, "Oh, let's go see her now Daikoku!"

He nodded and followed the skipping Kofuku in the direction where Bishamon and Kazuma stood together. Upon passing Hiyori, he said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't cause any trouble."

Hiyori laughed gratefully, "Thanks Daikoku. You're always so reliable."

Now all that was missing was the birthday boy himself and his Regalia.

* * *

Yukine arrived at the place Hiyori told him to go with the sleepy Yato following behind.

"Hey, Yukineee—can we go home soon?" Yato complained.

"It's not our home. It's Kofuku's place." Yukine corrected, making Yato pout even more than he already was. "But don't worry, you'll have a home sooner than you think." Yukine said the last part quietly.

"Huh, what was that?" Yato asked.

"Oh, nothing. Look, we're almost there. So just...I don't know—shut up!"

Yato nearly threw a fit right there, "Why is my Blessed Regalia so mean to meeee? Didn't you transform for me? Don't your feelings go deeper than annoyance for your beloved god?"

Yukine ignored the god and focused on where they were, traversing through thick woods on the path Hiyori had shown him the day before. It was starting to get dark and wouldn't be long before he wouldn't be able to see anything.

Yukine was about to reach for the mini-flashlight he carried on a keychain when they reached the end of the path and he saw the lights coming from the top of the hill. There it was.

"There it is!"

Yato came up behind him, "What? Where what is?!"

Yukine pointed up to the lights, "There. That's where we're going."


	7. Chapter 7

**Shout out and thank to SoulMiester, NarutoAdmirer21 and the super mysterious 'Anonymous' for the great reviews! And thank you to all of you who have followed or favorited my story. I appreciate you all so much, you don't even know.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

Yukine was amazed. It was much grander and more beautiful than anything he ever imagined Hiyori would do.

"How…?" Yukine looked around at the small festival with wonder.

"Why are we here?" Yato asked, confused. He began walking down the pathway lit by paper candles up to the shrine, "I don't remember this shrine being here. Is there a new god or something?"

Gods and Regalias started to notice them and stopped their conversations and laughter to watch Yato and Yukine.

Yato didn't notice everyone watching and continued his inspection of the temple—then he noticed it...the shrine...it looked exactly like the one…

Yato's gaze snapped upwards to see his name across a banner that read, _HAPPY BIRTHDAY YATO GOD._

"What…?"

"Yato!"

He turned around at the familiar voice to see Hiyori and his heart raced. She wore a beautiful kimono with her hair pinned up by a cherry blossom hair ornament that looked as if it was trimmed off a cherry blossom tree itself. She had a big smile on her face, "Happy Birthday Yato!"

Everyone chimed in, "Happy Birthday Yato!"

"This is..." The tears flowed freely from his eyes while his face stayed in a state of shock, "...all for me?"

Everything was lit up like the Capypa parade earlier that night, and while it may not have been as extravagant, to Yato it was one-hundred times more wonderful.

"Yes Yato, it's your birthday present. We all worked hard on it so we could give it to you today. That's why Yukine brought you to Capypa land—so he could buy us time."

Yato looked to his Blessed Vessel, "You knew?"

Yukine nodded, crying himself, "Yeah."

"He came to me yesterday morning and told me that the shrine I built you broke in a battle, so I decided—with everyone's help—to build you a shrine that wouldn't break so easily. A place that you could call home." Hiyori smiled.

Home.

 _Home…_

A moment from years ago flashed in Yato's thoughts. It was him as a child, wandering through the darkness alone, covered in blood. Other gods would lock their doors to him. All were afraid to speak his name. No one would have ever guessed the child's thoughts, _Home...please...I only want a home. It doesn't have to be big. I can curl up to fit inside if it's too small...but please...someone…_

Shrine after shrine...they all turned him away, shutting off their homes to the child—A child that could only bring calamity and misfortune.

 _Please...don't leave me alone._

Hiyori hugged him, "You have a home now Yato, created by all the people who care about you."

It was true—everyone was here. Yato slowly let his arms encircle the girl who had changed his life. It was a tentative hug at first—gentle. Hesitant. But as the god held the girl, he grew more courageous and enveloped her tightly.

"Yato?!" Hiyori exclaimed, surprised at the sudden squeeze he gave her.

"Hiyori..." He hid his face in her shoulder, "Why do something like this for a lowly god like me?"

Hiyori felt herself grow overly-warm being hugged by Yato like this in front of everyone. He felt so nice...and he smelled even better. Her face became the same color as the more vibrant, pink cherry blossoms on her kimono, "Because...I…" She hesitated for a moment. Why _did_ she do something like this?

"Because..." She started again, "I care about you and your happiness Yato. I want to see you smile and to understand how many people care about you too. Everyone here volunteered to help me when I told them what I wanted to do."

Hiyori pushed away from the hug a little so she could look into Yato's eyes, "You are _not_ a 'lowly god' Yato. Look at all the ones who think of you and remember you. We love you."

Yato's eyes widened at the girl's direct and honest words. Yato looked around again at everyone there, watching him; _Seeing_ him—and not just seeing some God of Calamity—but really _seeing_ him. The true Yato. The one that hid beneath the scary stories and heinous acts of Yaboku.

 _Love…_ She had said.

 _Love._

An all-too-familiar voice rang out in Yato's head from his past, ' _Remember Yaboku...Nora and I are the only ones who will ever love you. We're your family. Everyone else will hate you, resent you and fear you. Being a 'beloved god' is a dream that can never come true for you._

And yet, despite what his father—no, his creator—had said...here were people who saw him as just 'Yato'; and in his arms, the girl who started it all.

' _Do you love Hiyori?'_ Yukine's words emerged in Yato's mind.

"Hiyori..." Without thinking, Yato's fingers had tilted her chin up and he leaned in close.

"Y-Yato…!" Hiyori breathed.

"Yatty, Hiyorin, Yukine!" Kofuku ran up in her new, bright pink kimono and pulled them all into a group hug, snapping Yato out of his trance, "Happy Birthday Yatty!"

Hiyori stared at her feet, her heart racing a million miles per second. What just happened? Was that…? Did he just…?

Daikoku came walking up behind Kofuku in a black yukata, holding the cake Hiyori had asked him to watch for her. She had made it the night before with Yato's birthday on her mind: a strawberry shortcake. It was the only cake she knew how to make—taught to her by her mom.

Daikoku had stuck some of the sparklers in the cake which cast off brilliant lights. Everyone sang.

" _Happy Birthday to you,_

 _Happy Birthday to you,_

 _Happy Birthday dear Yato,_

 _Happy Birthday to you~"_

Everyone clapped and cheered and Yato sobbed, "H-how did everyone know it was my birthday?!" Yato never told anyone. He always kept his birthday a secret.

Yukine kept his mouth shut. He was pretty sure if he mentioned how he found out, it would kill the mood. The truth was that Nora was the one who told him.

The sparklers were taken out and given to some of the little kid Regalias and Daikoku proceeded to cut the cake into slices and hand out pieces to Yato, Yukine and Kofuku first before cutting slices for everyone else. He had offered Hiyori one too but she declined (she had eaten a lot of the ingredients while she had made the cake). Most of the older Regalias shook their heads when offered pieces too, letting the children take the slices instead.

 _I should have made more…_ Hiyori thought, but no one seemed to mind. There was plenty of food being made to go around. One of the Regalias had even set up a little shaved iced stand and was handing out the colorful cones.

 _It's like a real festival._ Hiyori noticed, happily.

Bishamon came walking up with two more Yukatas for Yato and Yukine, "Here."

Yato hid behind Hiyori, "Bishamon! You were here too?!"

Bishamon's face became annoyed, "You didn't notice how most of the Regalias here were mine?! Of course I'm here!"

Hiyori laughed, relieved that the two gods could get along like this now. It wasn't too long ago that Bishamon had wanted nothing more than to kill Yato and get revenge for her fallen Regalias from her previous clan. Hiyori wasn't sure exactly when that had happened, but from how Kazuma had put it, it seemed like it had been centuries.

"Bishamon is actually the one who made all of this possible Yato." Hiyori said, "It was my idea, but without her and her Regalias, none of this would have happened."

Yato eyed the blond-haired goddess, "Really?"

Bishamon coughed, "Well...I wanted to thank you somehow—for everything. Hiyori simply presented me with a way to do so. And I also wanted to..." She grimaced, "Apologize."

"Apologize?" Yato asked, "For what?"

Bishamon gave Yato an exasperated look, "For hunting you for all those years of course! I know now that what happened wasn't your fault...my Regalias had corrupted and destroyed themselves. But I needed someone to blame...someone to give me strength to move forward." Her fists clenched, "My hatred for you did just that. But I now realize it was wrong of me. So I'm sorry! Alright?!"

Yato just stood there wide-eyed and nodded.

"Good! Here are your yukatas!" And Bishamon stormed off.

Yato was left holding the Yukatas, an amazed expression on his face, "She apologized to me."

Hiyori smiled, "Here, you two can get changed in the shrine." And she led Yato and Yukine to their new home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

It was quiet inside the shrine away from all the birthday celebrations. Inside, paper candles lined the walls and cast a soft light throughout the space. She turned to Yato to gauge his reaction and gasped. Yato was down on his knees, the yukatas splayed across the hardwood floor, forgotten. Yukine stood beside Yato and gaped.

"Hiyori...you really did all this? It's incredible..." Yukine said.

"With Bishamon and the others, yes." Hiyori answered, her eyes not leaving Yato.

Yato eventually regained himself, but did not say a word. He seemed to be in shock. Hiyori gathered up the yukatas from the floor.

"Here, there are two separate rooms—one for each of you." She led them past the main room of the temple and down a small hallway. "You can change into your yukatas inside. This one is yours Yukine." She pointed to the room on the left and handed him his cream-colored yukata with an amber sash that matched his eyes.

"I get my own room?" He took the yukata excitedly and opened the sliding door. The paper candle lanterns extended in here too. Inside was a little bed and a wooden stand with freshly cut flowers inside. A small window pointed to the forest in back. It was simple. "Wow, this is amazing! Thank you!" Yukine gave her a hug and ran over to plop down on his bed with a delighted laugh.

Hiyori slid his door closed and went over to the room on the right, "And this is your room Yato." He didn't move so she slid the door open for him. The room was almost identical to Yukine's except Yato's bed was slightly bigger, the flowers on his bedstand were different colors and there was an envelope on his bed.

"Oh, that's strange." Hiyori went in to pick it up. "Yato..." She read and turned it over, "From Kofuku."

She handed the envelope to Yato and he took it silently, slowly tearing the seal and pouring out the contents. Hiyori made shocked sound.

It was the plaques from the matchmaking ceremony that they had attended...Specifically, it was Yato and Hiyori's plaques tied together by a red string.

 _Kofuku...why?!_ Hiyori screamed out in her mind. She couldn't believe the Goddess of Misfortune had done such a thing. Curiously, Yato didn't react at all.

"Hiyori?" He finally spoke.

"Yes?!" She squeaked.

He held the plaques directly in front of her, "Do you really want this? To be tied to a God of Calamity?"

Her heart raced. _How can he ask such a direct question like that so suddenly?!_ "I...want it." She said simply and immediately felt like running away and hiding.

' _I want it'?! Why why why did you say that?_ She chastised herself.

"I see..." Yato said, unfazed. "Can you turn around for a second?"

"S-sure. Why?"

He began to change, "I'm getting undressed."

Hiyori's face turned the same shade as the ripe strawberries on the cake that had been served earlier, "What! No, I'll leave so you can change!" Hiyori made her way to the sliding door. When had it been closed? But Yato gripped her arm and stopped her. She made the mistake of turning around to see the God completely topless. Underneath that jersey he was unexpectedly well-muscled. She yelped and immediately turned back around, heart racing.

"No, stay. Please. I don't want to be alone." Yato pleaded.

"F-fine." She stammered. "Only because it's your b-birthday."

Yato released her arm, "Thank you Hiyori." He continued changing as Hiyori stared at the wall so hard, she wouldn't have been surprised if it burst into flame. "Sorry if I'm acting strange, this is all just...really overwhelming." Yato apologized.

This broke Hiyori's self-consciousness, "Are you not happy?" She asked worriedly.

"No! That's not it! I'm beyond happy." Yato assured, "I don't think I've ever been so happy in my whole existence. It's just...oh, you can turn around now by the way."

Hiyori did so and found the god clad in blue. The yukata itself was a deep blue and the sash at the waist was a light, almost turquoise blue that brought her attention to his intense eyes.

He laughed, "We match."

"Huh?" She looked down and found that his yukata was the same deep blue as the base of her kimono. She blushed. Oh god, they were going to look like a couple this way.

"This yukata..." He smiled sadly, "Being dressed like this remind me of my previous life. My days as the true God of Calamity."

"You don't have to wear it!"

"I don't mind." Yato smiled sincerely. Hiyori hadn't even thought of that—so at one point he wore a yukata like this one all the time? She blushed just thinking about it. He looked so handsome right now...

"I don't think I've told you yet," Yato took a step closer to her and touched her hair ornament gently, causing her heart to stop for a moment, "You look beautiful tonight. That kimono...it suits you Hiyori." His fingertips traced down until they touched her neck. Hiyori shivered. Yato leaned in to look her straight in her eyes, "How many wonderful things will you do for me? You keep surprising me."

Hiyori's lips parted, but no words came.

Yato carefully watched her face and all the little expressions she made with her eyes, her brows, her lips...He felt his own heart speed up being in such close proximity to her. He had never felt anything like it. When had he come to feel this way towards this girl? He honestly couldn't imagine her not being in his life now.

Yukine's question rang in Yato's head again. Over and over. Yato knew the answer now.

"I love you Hiyori."

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed the words before she could even think, "I love you too, Yato."

His lips were on hers. The contact sent shockwaves through the both of them and the gentle kiss deepened quickly, Yato's one hand grabbing the back of her neck and the other pulling her into him by her waist. Hiyori's arms naturally went around the god's neck. His scent flooded her sense of smell and her knees weakened but the god had no problem holding her up. She may have teased him all the time about being nothing but a 'jersey god' but Yato worked hard and that was apparent through his grip on her and the strength she felt from him.

They broke off the kiss momentarily, both gasping.

"Whoa." They said in unison.

"That was..." Hiyori started.

"Electrifying." Yato finished and she nodded her head in agreement. "You're dangerous Hiyori Iki."

They just stood there for a moment until the sudden realization of what was happening hit her and her face turned into the deepest shade of red that night, "Wait, did you and I…? Did we just kiss?"

Yato nodded, "Was that not clear? I can make it clear." And he leaned in to kiss her again, throwing them both for another shock-filled ride. It was an indescribable feeling. The only thing Yato knew was that he wanted to keep touching her and being close to her. Breaking away from Hiyori was the last thing he wanted to do in the world. But eventually, he did—so that they could both come up for air.

Yato took a step back but continued holding both her hands in his. They were small and warm. He loved them. He loved holding them.

"I can't believe...that just happened." Hiyori breathed. "I never thought my first kiss would be with a..."

Something stopped her and Hiyori froze.

The horrible memory flashed in her head. The one at Capypa Land when she had gone with her friends and classmates and the boy...Fujisaki...had kissed her. He had been the one to take her first kiss away from her—not Yato.

That realization alone was enough to make the tears steam freely down her cheeks.

"Hiyori?! What's the matter?" Yato panicked, "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head sadly and stepped into his arms. He didn't say anything and just held her close as she took several deep breathes, his smell filling each one and calming her down, "You...you're not my first kiss Yato. My first kiss was with a classmate by the name of Fujisaki."

* * *

Yukine finished changing and left his old clothes on the bed. _His_ bed. He hummed happily, practically skipping out of the room and closing the door behind him. He heard voices coming from Yato's room. He debated calling out to them but the tone in their voices sounded serious.

 _'Maybe Yato's finally being honest with himself,'_ Yukine thought.

He decided against bothering them and walked back down the hall to the main room of the shrine.

Yukine carried a bag with him. He had been carrying it since they left Kofuku's house. He saw a shelving space at the center of the wall with vases of flowers on either side. That seemed like a good spot.

He took out the big ball of newspaper from the bag and carefully unwrapped the item. It was the little shrine—the first shrine Yato had received from Hiyori—and the one Yukine had helped repair as best he could. It didn't look great, but it was precious. He stuck the little shrine between the vases of flowers and took a step back.

Rubbing his chin, he smiled, "Looks perfect." And he left to rejoin the festivities.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a bit longer since my last update-I've been working on some other projects. But wow! I have so many shout outs to give this time!**

 **SleepyHallow & Noragami4life - Thank you for you first reviews on my story! I appreciate it sooo much. **

**And to everyone else who has continued to follow me and keep sending me reviews: NarutoAdmirer21, FrostyFirebender, GodofPoverty1567 and DoubleDeuce (who's crazy and always reads my new chapters almost as quick as I post them!). Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys are all friggen awesome and I love you.**

 **Now - Onwards to the next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters**

Yato felt a strange feeling in his chest—a squeezing?—he wasn't sure what it was but he didn't like it. The idea of someone else kissing Hiyori made him extremely uneasy.

"What happened?" His voice was serious.

Hiyori sniffled and sighed, "Fujisaki caught me off-guard. It was such a weird and horrible day. So much time had passed since I saw you that I had started to forget…" Yato felt her playing with his scarf as she spoke and his heart rate elevated a little, "I did forget. I forgot you Yato! But I still missed you...It was the strangest thing—I kept thinking how I wanted to be there at Capypa Land with you even though I couldn't remember you."

Hiyori stopped fiddling with his scarf and her eyes glazed over as they traveled back to the past, "Being there without you just felt...off. Even without my memories, I still thought of you somehow. I kept thinking about how I wished that the special someone were there with me...How even watching a beautiful parade felt empty without you by my side..."

This made Yato think of his own experience at Capypa Land with Yukine earlier that day. Watching the parade wasn't exciting at all without Hiyori there with him. In fact, he always missed her when she wasn't around—the world just didn't seem as bright without her right beside him.

"Fujisaki kissed me and I immediately rejected him." She continued, "But I can't get that precious thing back from him no matter how much I want to..."

"You want me to kill him?" Yato asked suddenly and Hiyori's eyes snapped up to him.

"What? No! Don't kill him!"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Hiyori sighed, "It just makes me sad. I wanted my first kiss..." Her cheeks flushed, "To be with you."

Yato released Hiyori so he could look at her again. Her cheeks were wet and pink. He wiped away her tears with his sleeve and leaned down to her ear and spoke gently, "It's alright Hiyori...I'm sorry I wasn't there with you. It's my fault."

He remembered...he had been stuck with Nora, trying desperately to come back to Hiyori. He had been so frightened of her forgetting him and it turned out his fears had come true. He was beyond lucky that Hiyori had somehow managed to remember them again. But he knew that he never wanted her to forget him again...

His soft lips lightly grazed Hiyori's earlobe and sent shivers throughout her body. His voice deepened, "I may not have been your first Iki Hiyori, but maybe...I can be your last."

Hiyori's heart flew and butterflies sparred in her stomach as if she was riding a roller coaster and just went plummeting straight down. What Yato said was practically a proposal. Was that allowed? She didn't know and she didn't care. She felt like she was flying.

"But for now...Hiyori...let me be the one who has kissed you the most." And Yato captured her lips once more. He was slow and gentle with this kiss—just like how a first kiss should be. Hiyori let herself melt into him and relax. Unlike the kiss with Fujisaki, this kiss felt _right._ Everything in her responded to Yato and she found that she never wanted to part from him. If only they could stay like this…

When Yato's lips left hers, it left her feeling peaceful and happy again. God and human smiled at each other.

Everything was okay now.

* * *

 _Rustle, rustle._ A mouse popped out, squeaked in surprise and scurried back into it's burrowed home.

The forest was quiet here. Dark. Home to the many malevolent spirits called Phantoms that lurked, waiting for someone they could prey upon. The mouse was wise and had hid, and the phantoms were too afraid to venture to the place above-the place of light and celebration. They could _feel_ the gods and their pets there. _Too dangerous...too dangerous._ So the phantoms stayed...and waited.

Then something shifted.

There was a pond...resting perfectly still and casting a pristine reflections of the stars and the moon back up...until precisely three seconds ago. Now ripples spread out from it's center and a girl appeared like a single snowflake within the darkness. The phantoms hungrily charged at her, eager to corrupt.

"Silly creatures..." The girl said and her own phantoms shaped as wolves attacked their own kind-the ones seeking to corrupt the girl, "I am too wicked to be corrupted by you."

The rest of the phantoms backed away and left her alone. Her wolves stood guard around her. The girl looked up, smelled the air and smiled.

"I smell them. They're all there."

* * *

Yato and Hiyori had reluctantly wandered away from Yato's private room and back into the main area of the shrine. Yukine was nowhere to be found and it could only be assumed that he went back outside to rejoin the others in the birthday celebrations.

"Oh!" Hiyori exclaimed and pointed to the shelf on the wall. Right in the middle between two flower vases was the mini-shrine that Yato and Yukine had put back together.

"Yukine..." Yato smiled. The young Regalia must have put it there. Yato turned back around to take in the shrine once more in all its simple beauty. Never in a thousand years had Yato thought he would be this lucky.

"Hiyori...what you've done for me today...Thank you. I don't know if I can ever repay you for this, no matter how many 5-yen I earn."

Hiyori smiled and reached down to squeeze his hand, "Just be happy."

Yato nodded and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll try."

()()()()()()()

In their matching kimono and yukata, god and girl rejoined the festivities to find a badminton net being set up. Bishamon's cheeks were flushed and she was shouting something unintelligible, her words slurring into each other. The moment she saw Yato, she pointed her racquet at him, "YOU! Go...Gouda of Cal...Calamari!"

"Gouda as in the cheese?" Someone asked.

"Calamari as in the fish?" Another questioned.

They both looked at each other and shrugged.

Bishamon hiccuped, "I chaellange yo! Ifiwin, I got yer staupid king..." She hiccuped, "...king amblerm on yers shirt!"

Kazuma was standing a little ways away, a hand covering his face in shame.

Yato suddenly had a racquet, "I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!"

The bets were set. If Bishamon won, she would receive Yato's crown emblem he always wore on his shirt and if Yato won, he received one-thousand 5-yen coins.

The two gods got into their battle positions on either side of the net and Hiyori laughed—it was good to see Yato in such high spirits again.

"Miss Hiyori."

Hiyori turned to see Kazuma standing beside her.

"I deeply apologize for Bishamon...she got into a drinking contest with some of the Regalias and now..."

"EAT MY BIRDIES YATO!" A barrage of badminton birdies went flying over the net toward Yato (a few even caught on fire from going so fast).

Kazuma grimaced.

Hiyori laughed even harder, "No, don't worry Kazuma! This is wonderful. I'm happy to see Yato and Bishamon in such high spirits."

"Thank you for your understanding." Kazuma watched the drunk Bishamon and smiled, "Though I have to say...it's rare for me to see her like this. She's usually so careful and reserved, especially around her Regalias."

Hiyori quirked an eyebrow, "Really? She always seems so fiery to me."

Kazuma smiled, "Well you've mainly seen her in battle. On her days off, Bishamon is quite kept-to-herself. She doesn't like her Regalias worrying about her so it's difficult for her to let loose like this." His eyes became warmer as he watched the goddess, "I'm glad she can."

Hiyori watched Bishamon as she missed a birdie and nearly broke her racquet in drunk rage—Hiyori couldn't imagine her being quiet and reserved. Even if it was the case, she was happy Bishamon could relax here.

"Woooow~. It's so pretty. What a beautiful temple."

Hiyori smiled and turned to respond to the voice—but froze.

Nora.

"Hello again girl. I've come to wish my dear Yato a Happy Birthday."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

The Festivities came to a halt in the presence of a Nora. Gods eyed her suspiciously while their Regalias watched her like a poorly-dressed stripper who had just crashed a fancy wedding celebration: with hostility and contempt. For the first time, Hiyori got to witness what life was like for a Nora.

Yato was by Hiyori's side before she could even blink.

"What are you doing here Nora?" Yato growled, still harboring anger towards his ex-partner. "I thought you were trapped in the underworld."

Her dark eyes lit up a little at the sight of him, "Ah, my dear Yato! It's good to see you again." She looked around at the festival with all the people eyeing her, and bowed, "And it's good to see some of my other masters as well."

A concerned murmur broke out among the Regalias; Which gods was the Nora talking about? Every Regalia there had the same thought just then: Could it possibly be their God who had used the Nora?

"Please!" Kazuma spoke out loudly and the murmur died down. Kazuma was well-respected even among other gods and their Regalias, "I know seeing a Nora like this can be upsetting for many here, but please keep your composure. We don't want our gods to be stung."

The Regalias quieted but there was still an uncomfortable tension in the air.

Nora giggled, "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset any of your domestic lives." Her apology sounded empty, "As for how I got out of the underworld—father helped me out. You remember him, right Yato? Or should I say, Yaboku?"

Hiyori had been unconsciously holding Yato's arm and now she could feel his muscles tense up.

"Nora!" Yukine came running up, breathless, "What are you doing here?"

She turned to him, a pleasant smile on her face, "Yukine! So you're here too."

"Why? Why are you here?"

"To wish Yato a happy birthday of course." She turned back towards the angry-looking god and bowed, "Happy Birthday Yato—and congratulations on your new shrine. Your wish finally came true."

Yato was silent, face hidden. Hiyori could feel him shaking—was that anger or sadness? Maybe both.

Another god, Tenjin, stepped forward, "I think you should leave Nora." He spoke firmly.

"Ah...Tenjin...you're a god who refuses to take up the services of a Nora so you feel comfortable to speak up right?"

Tenjin's Regalias noticeably relaxed hearing that their god had still kept that promise. Their ease didn't last long. The Nora continued...

"You've managed to pass all your dirty work to Yato and me in the past...but now that Yato unnamed me, that might not be so easy anymore. You may come to need my services yet."

"Shut up!" One of Tenjin's Regalias yelled in tears and Tsuyu—Tenjin's guidepost—immediately held her and whispered something to the young Regalia. The girl nodded and apologized softly.

Nora giggled.

It was the Goddess of War that broke the Nora's calm exterior, "You're not welcome here Nora. Leave. Now." Bishamon seemed to be sober now, though her cheeks were still a little flushed.

Nora's face darkened, "Ah—the esteemed Goddess of War. Unfortunately, you're no master of mine. I do not take orders from the likes of you. However..."

She faced the crowd of onlookers, "If any one of my masters wishes me to leave, they may simply step forward and say so."

Not a single God moved for fear of upsetting their loyal Regalias.

"I said leave." Bishamon's voice boomed.

Yukine stepped forward and anxiously spoke, "Come on, you should go Nora..." He tried to reach out his hand but Nora pulled away from his touch.

"No." And that's when the phantom wolves appeared, surrounding the Nora. One leaped out and nearly bit Yukine but Yukine instinctively erected a barrier between himself and the phantom wolf. The wolf hit the barrier and yelped out in pain.

Yato snapped out of his withdrawn state and was instantly by Yukine's side, "Yukine! Are you okay?!"

Heart racing, Yukine nodded, "Yeah...I'm fine. It didn't bite me."

Yato glared at the Nora, "Sekki."

Yukine transformed into his Shinki state, ' _Yato_ _wait_ _! Are you really going to fight her?'_

' _She's endangering everyone by being here—so yes.'_

Nora seemed to grow especially annoyed having the Sekki pointed at her. It was she who used to be the primary weapon of Yato. The two of them used to be so close…

Father was right. Being around the girl and the new blessed Regalia was changing Yato...and Nora didn't like it.

Yato squared off with Nora. And then Bishamon too, was by Yato's side with all of her Regalias equipped. Then Tenjin...then Kofuku...one by one, all the gods and goddesses called on their Regalias and wielded them at Nora.

Their message was clear.

"My, my, my—it seems you're outnumbered kid." A new voice echoed around the temple grounds.

Hiyori recognized that voice. There was a rush of wind and her world spun. Hiyori found herself seeing the world upside down in the arms of Fujisaki.

Fujisaki?

"HIYORI!" Yato screamed.

Fujisaki whistled, "What a reaction. You must really _really_ care for the girl Yaboku."

"What…?" Hiyori looked up at her classmate. "Fuji...saki? Why are you...here?"

Fujisaki looked down at her with a fake smile, "Good to see you again Hiyori. I'm glad to see you remember me."

"You…" Yato's face was shocked—he had used his old name, "It's you, isn't it?"

"Indeed. So lay down your arms Yaboku, and tell the others to do the same—unless you want me to mess up pretty Hiyori's face."

Yato's jaw clenched but he did as he was told, "Yukine."

Yukine reverted.

"Please everyone..." Yato said quietly.

There was a flash of golden brown and Bishamon's lion grabbed Fujisaki from behind—latching onto his shoulder. Fujisaki yelled out in surprised pain and nearly dropped Hiyori but he managed to hold on with one arm.

"Chiaki!" Nora transformed into Fujisaki's weapon and he used it to jab at the lion's face but he was too slow. Bishamon was in close enough range now. With her whip, she tied Fujisaki's weapon hand to his neck in restraint.

"Kazuma." She spoke and he reverted. "Take Hiyori."

Hiyori was pried from Fujisaki's arm and taken away.

"How...annoying." Fujisaki choked. "I guess I have...no choice then. Hanki, Veki, Saki... "

Fujisaki listed off countless names and suddenly Phantoms filled the skies and covered the ground below, "Destroy the Gods!"

"Yes sir!" The Phantoms called in unison and began the attack.

The Birthday Festival was thrown into chaos as the summoned phantoms fought against the gods and their Regalias. Among the chaos, Kazuma was called back to Bishamon. Hiyori frantically spun, looking for Yato through the mayhem, but Fujisaki found her instead.

"You, come with me." He hissed.

"No!" Hiyori fought with no success. If only she could transition to her half-phantom form at will.

Fujisaki disappeared with Hiyori and Nora, leaving everyone in disarray.

* * *

Hiyori found herself in a well-furnished house almost as nice as her own. Fujisaki dropped her on a couch and groaned, "That went worse than I expected." He examined the bite marks on his bloodied shoulder and walked off somewhere, "Mizuchi, will you get the first aid kit?!"

Nora transformed back to her human form and knelt in front of Hiyori, "You know...it's only because father wants you alive that I'm letting you live."

"Mizuchi! Kit!" He called impatiently.

Nora's eyes bore into Hiyori's, "Remember that." And she went to help Fujisaki.

Hiyori sat on the couch, stunned. What in the world was happening? What _was_ Fujisaki?


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

 **Oh my goodness it's been a month since I've updated! Thank you all for being so patient with me. I do still check in even when I'm not writing and I've got to seriously thank these mysterious folks called "Anonymous xD" and "Guest" for their reviews (especially you Anonymous xD...your review made my heart sing! What a treat to login and read.). These reviews keep me motivated to continue guys so thank you so much. I appreciate it more than you know. So without further or do, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Despite the number of phantoms that had been summoned to Yato's temple, they were no match for the Gods and their Regalias.

Bishamon shot the last of them, rending their phantom form and purifying the spirits. Thankfully, the temple had remained untouched during the ambush.

' _Yato—where's Hiyori?!'_ Yukine's voice rang out from the double swords. Yato spun around but didn't see the girl. She was gone.

Yato cursed, "He took her."

' _What?!_ _I thought Bishamon saved her earlier._ _'_

But a quick glance to the Goddess of War proved otherwise—Hiyori was nowhere in sight.

Yato's phone rang just then. He pulled it out and looked at the screen—the call showed as UNKNOWN.

Yato picked up, "Hello?"

"She's with me Yato—don't worry—I won't do anything to her."

Yato clenched his jaw, "What the hell do you want?"

The man clicked his tongue over the phone, "Since when have you developed such bad manners towards your father, hmm Yato? I raised you better than that."

"You're _not_ my father."

"Oh no? Then all the times you called me 'father' as a child weren't real?"

Yato ground his teeth—times were different then; Yato had been different. Back then...he didn't know the difference between right and wrong...he didn't know that the man he called 'father' was actually a monster only showed kindness to his little tools that helped him in his quest for destruction. Yato had been one of those tools.

"What do you want from me? Just get to the point." Yato growled.

"So hasty my son. Tell you what? I'll have Mizuchi prepare some tea and you can come visit us. We'll have a nice little chat then. Hiyori can even join us if you like." The man said sweetly.

"Fine."

"Great! Oh I'm so happy to hear it. Here, I'll text you the address. Come right away, alright?"

"I'll be there." Yato snapped the phone shut and waited for the address. The moment it arrived, Yato disappeared, transporting himself to the man he refused to call father and the young woman he loved.

* * *

Bishamon checked in with her Regalias one by one, making sure none were injured, only to wince herself as she raised an arm.

"Veena!" Kazuma looked to her worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch." It was more than a scratch but she didn't have time to worry about that now. She didn't see Hiyori. "Kazuma, where's the girl?"

"I'm afraid I lost her in the chaos. The one who called himself Fujisaki must have taken her."

"And Yato?"

"He disappeared just moments ago after speaking with someone over the phone."

Bishamon cursed. This was not how today was supposed to go. Finally, she thought she'd be able to repay her debt to the Yato god but now another mess had presented itself.

"Kazuma, did you hear where Yato was going?"

"No, he mentioned nothing."

 _Great..._ Bishamon took a breath, "Well then. Kazuma, go back home and round up any of the Regalias that would be useful in a scouting party. We need to find where Yato went off to. I didn't like the looks of that Fujisaki fellow... I'll stay here and see if there are any gods that would be willing to come with us to rescue Hiyori from that man."

"Of course. But Veena..."

"Just do it."

Kazuma sighed and grabbed Bishamon's arm causing her to wince; she bit her lip so as not to yelp. Kazuma's eyes widened at the bloody gash in her arm.

"I thought so! Veena, you can't ignore this. You need to take time to heal. If you got this from a phantom, it can easily become tainted."

"I know that Kazuma, but we don't have time. We need to act now."

"As always, you're reckless. Here…" Kazuma tore strip of cloth from the sleeve of his yukata and drenched it in holy water that he carried in a small container with him. He rolled up Bishamon's sleeve to expose the wound and poured what remained of the holy water on it before wrapping it up firmly.

Bishamon stood still as the Blessed Vessel cared for her wound, blushing a little at the close proximity to him. He still hadn't put on his glasses and now she knew why her shots had felt just slightly off during the fighting earlier; but he didn't need them for something like this. He really was very handsome…

"There, done." His voice broke into her thoughts.

"Oh! T-thank you Kazuma." Bishamon flushed and glanced down to examine his thorough handiwork. He always looked out for her no matter what. She was lucky to have such a Regalia care for her the way Kazuma did…

"Veena?"

"Yes!"

"Was the scouting party all?" He was preparing to leave.

"Oh...yes. That will be all. And Kazuma?"

"Yes Veena?"

Because of the chaos at the temple, the air was unsettling now. The phantoms in the surrounding areas were undoubtedly restless after such a fight…and something in the pit of the goddess's stomach made her uneasy. Something was off.

"Please be careful. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you."

It was Kazuma's turn to blush, "Don't be silly Veena, you would be fine without me. I'm the one who-"

"No!" She interrupted him and closed the distance to grab the collar of his yukata, "No Kazuma, you're more to me than that, do you understand? I need you in my life. Not only as a Regalia and Blessed Vessel but as a comrade and..."

"...And?"

Her lavender eyes met his and she was surprised to find he didn't turn away from her. He just waited patiently for her to finish.

"And...well..." Her face turned pink, "You're my partner...Kazuma."

"Partner…?" He looked at her with a calm and slightly baffled expression.

"Yes...I...I care deeply about you."

"Like you do for all your Regalias." He rationalized.

"No! I mean yes...but..." Bishamon groaned, "But more than that. Kazuma I lo-"

This time Kazuma interrupted the goddess, "Veena. Please...be careful what you say to me. I have kept a very strict boundary in my mind in regards to our relationship as Goddess and Regalia and I don't know that I could keep that up if you were to...cross that line."

Bishamon looked down. "Oh..." She said, her face crestfallen and it hurt Kazuma's heart to see. He groaned internally and wrapped his arms around the fierce woman, now so sad-looking, to pull her gently into an embrace, "I'm sorry. I understand...I'll be careful."

Bishamon nodded into his yukata, her face flushed from the sudden hug. It felt really nice.

"And..." His embrace tightened around her for a second, "I love you too Veena." He broke off, leaving the Goddess of War wide-eyed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

 **Special thanks to Eris and JStarRobin for your reviews and support!**

* * *

Yato appeared at the front door of the address he had been sent, Yukine beside him. The house was huge. He stepped up to a well-kept porch with budding flowers in pots on either side, but before he could ring the bell, the door opened to reveal a smiling Nora.

"Yato, so you did some." She spoke in a friendly tone.

"Where is he?" Yato responded coldly.

Nora's smile dampened a little, but she remained polite, "He's in the living room along with the girl. Follow me."

Yukine trailed behind, eyeing the nora. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her: Why did she tell him about Yato's birthday? What was her real name besides Nora? Why was she a nora? Why was it that she could seem so close one moment, only to be so distant the next? Yukine couldn't figure her out but he desperately wanted to. She wasn't so different from him. She was once a lost soul too; a pure soul who didn't wish for her death and longed to continue living. Someone had found her and had turned her into a Regalia...then for some reason, she had chosen to become a nora. Why?

It bothered Yukine…it was a path that could just as easily have happened to him.

Yato stopped in front of him and Yukine nearly ran into the god. They were in the living room now and the man called Fujisaki sat relaxed on a large sofa with a smile. Hiyori sat on the opposite end of the sofa from him in her half-phantom form, small and kept to herself. When she saw Yato and Yukine, her eyes lit up in relieved tears.

"Yato! Yukine! You came!" She cried and leaped up, but before she could reach them, she went toppling back down to her seat. Fujisaki had grabbed her shirt and forcefully pulled her back again.

Yato growled, obviously not liking the treatment of Hiyori displayed. His hand was outstretched, and for a moment, Yukine thought Yato would call on him to fight...but the god's hand clenched up into a fist and Yato brought it back to his side with what looked like great effort.

Fujisaki watched Yato's display with interest, "She's so important that you would even consider fighting me?" Fujisaki looked to the girl, "Impressive."

Yato's jaw clenched visibly, "What do you want from me?"

"First, both of you..." Fujisaki glanced to Yukine as he spoke, "sit."

"We're fine." Yato countered.

Hiyori yelped out in pain just then and Yukine spotted a small phantom with sharp teeth near her tail. Yato immediately reacted, calling out to Hiyori, deep concern apparent on his face.

"I said sit." Fujisaki ordered, eyes narrowing.

Yato and Yukine both did so and the little phantom by Hiyori's tail jumped up to Fujisaki's shoulder and began chirping happily. He was controlling them?

"Much better. Now, would either of you care for some tea?"

"Fine." Said Yato, even though when he was brought tea by Nora, he never touched it once. At this point, he was simply playing along so as not to upset this demi-god who called himself Yato's father.

Yato looked to Hiyori and spoke softly, "Are you okay?"

Hiyori nodded, "I'm okay."

Yukine was brought tea too, but Nora completely avoided eye contact as she set his cup in front of him.

"Thank you." Yukine said sincerely, hoping for a reaction. Any reaction. He got one.

Nora's distant look broke and she looked to him with a hint of surprise. Yukine met her eyes directly, not looking away from the girl. He was no longer the timid and unsure Regalia that he had started out as. He had grown and was stronger now and Nora no longer intimidated him. All he wanted was to understand her.

For a moment, the nora and the regalia just looked at one another. Then, unexpectedly, Nora gave a little smile before slightly shaking her head. Somehow, Yukine understood.

' _This is not the time or place,' s_ he seemed to silently say to him.

Yukine sipped his tea without another word. Yato took over the conversation.

"Can we just get to the point? What do you want from me?"

Fujisaki clicked his tongue, "Why in such a rush son? We've just barely started talking."

"It's already too much."

"Careful." Fujisaki warned and Hiyori stiffened. The little phantom creature and started to nibble on her tail again. Yato clenched his teeth, then slumped a little in a sign of submission. He couldn't speak his mind or be honest with Hiyori in this position. He needed to control himself and go along with whatever this demi-god wanted.

"Fujisaki, please...stop this." Hiyori pleaded.

"Silence girl." He ordered.

 _Wait…_ Yato thought, _...Fujisaki? Wasn't that…?_

Yato's eyes widened, "It was _you?_ You kissed Hiyori?"

Suddenly, Fujisaki burst out laughing. He laughed until tears appeared in his eyes, and he wiped them away, "Oh gods, I had forgotten all about that!"

Yato was speechless. He couldn't believe it. His creator was Fujisaki? The man who kissed Hiyori? No...

Yato shot up from his seat, "Why!"

Fujisaki didn't get upset by Yato's outburst. He was too amused by the memory of kissing the high school teen, "Because I was bored and I wanted to test something."

"Test?"

"Indeed. I wanted to see how strong your bond really was...so while Mizuchi kept you away, I spent some quality time with young Hiyori." Fujisaki chucked, "We had a great time as Capyba Land, didn't we dear?"

Hiyori's shoulders slumped.

Yato could feel it take over...that heat. That rage...it was a feeling he hadn't had in a long time. Not in hundreds of years. Hiyori, who was usually so strong and rambunctious, was now sitting their quietly...obediently...all because of this man; if you could call him that. The rage built and spread and consumed Yato. He could feel it in his legs and arms...his heart...his head…

"...Sekki."

Yukine didn't have time to process what had happened when suddenly he was in Yato's hands and part of him was blocking Nora in her Shinki-form and the other part of him was lodged into Fujisaki's shoulder.

The demi-god dripped blood onto the floor and his eyes were full of shock, "You attacked me." He stated, dumbfounded...then his face grew dark, "You dare attack your own creator?!"

A huge force of energy pushed Yukine back and threatened to break him but Yato pulled away and both he and Yukine disappeared...at least that's what everyone else saw. By the time Fujisaki noticed their whereabouts again, it was too late.

Yato had re-positioned himself behind the demi-god and cut rapidly with the double swords of Yukine. Steel easily sliced through the delicate human skin and the demi-god cursed, falling to the ground.

Yukine experienced it all with shock...Yato was incredibly fast. Too fast. And something was different. Usually Yato communicated with Yukine during their battles...but right now, Yato's mind was totally silent...pristine. Dangerous.

Was this what Yato was like as the God of Calamity?

Fujisaki held a hand up in surrender. Yato didn't care. He saw red. He held up a sword and prepared to strike a final blow through the nape of the man's neck.

"YATO STOP!" Hiyori screamed before Yato could follow through with the strike. Yato paused, and Hiyori could see his hand shaking.

He was restraining himself.

"Stop..." She cried. "Fujisaki...he really is a human. He's alive. He was born into this world. Don't kill him because of your creator!"

Yato thought about this...it was true. His creator was notorious for taking possession of bodies for his own benefit. Could Fujisaki's soul still be there? Waiting to be freed?

Fujisaki spat blood on the floor, "Stupid." In a flash, he had grabbed Mizuchi and targeted her at Yato's heart. Then, for the first time ever, Mizuchi stung him.

' _Mizuchi! How dare you!'_

He could feel the nora panicking. It was unlike her.

' _Why Mizuchi?'_ He questioned her.

' _It's not his fault—it's not Yato's fault. It's that girl's! Your rage is misdirected father!'_

Yato easily blocked the halfhearted attack by the nora and Fujisaki was forced to pull back to a defensive position again.

' _Kill the girl father. Please.'_ Mizuchi begged.

' _The plan was to use her stupid.'_

' _Please...'_

' _Tch...'_

In a second, Fujisaki was gone, disappearing from the room altogether in a haze of phantoms.

"Yato..." Hiyori bottom lip shook as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Not now Hiyori." Yato said coldly, eyeing their surroundings carefully.

Hiyori was shocked...Yato was so distant. So...different. Her tears streamed freely…

"JUNGLE SAVATE! She hit Yato squarely in the gut with all she had, shocking him out of his scary, bloodthirsty state.

Yato yelped and hunched over, breathing heavily, "W-WHY?!"

"I'M CRYING HERE!" Hiyori waved her arms.

"HE COULD COME BACK AT ANYTIME!" Yato pointed to the empty space, "HE'S SUPER SCARY LIKE THAT!"

Hiyori crumpled up into fetal position on the floor to hide her face. Even though she was yelling at him like this, she was afraid—and not of Fujisaki...or whatever possessed her old classmate—but of what she had seen in Yato's eyes just moments before.

' _Hiyori...'_ Yukine spoke worriedly.

That's when Yato noticed her shaking.

"Yukine." The god spoke and the Shinki reverted, "Keep an eye out okay? If you see him, don't try to fight him by yourself—just yell out for me."

"Got it." Yukine ran off to watch the entrance of the place.

Yato came over to her and put his arms around the girl, "Hiyori? I'm sorry...are you okay?"

Hiyori shook her head, "You were scary Yato. Really scary."

Yato's eyes widened, "Me?"

Hiyori's hidden face nodded.

"You're crying...because of me?"

Hiyori's head popped up and Yato's heart beat a little faster at the sight of her flushed face.

"You changed just now...is that...is that how you used to be Yato?"

He met her eyes and then averted his gaze, "Yeah...pretty much. I...I killed a lot Hiyori. Humans...Gods...Shinki...it didn't matter. Those were the darkest times. I'm sorry...that you had to see that side of me. But something snapped when I saw you sit so timidly beside him. It reminded me of how I used to be as a boy. He controlled, manipulated and abused me and Mizuchi so that we would be his perfect tools and when I saw you...I realized he was using you too. And then to think he kissed you…" Yato clenched his fist, "I'm sorry Hiyori."

She reached out to hug him but he caught her arms, "No...for now you should keep your distance from me. I don't know...what I'm going to have to become to defeat that man...and you may not like me at the end of all of this."

"I don't care." She wanted to touch him and be close to him right now.

Yato shook his head, "You will. And I can't let him go free. If memory serves me right, it's approaching the time he's been planning for..."

"The time?"

"Yes..." Yato's eyes grew distant.

"The end of all Gods."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Also, I didn't really like how the last chapter turned out so I'm replacing it with this one. Hope it doesn't ruin anyone's experience reading and that you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you for understanding! And a special thanks to Princessa Mia for the review!**

* * *

It hurt. Pain. What a strange experience. The high school impostor sat staring blankly at a wall as his bloody wound was cleaned by careful and experienced hands.

Mizuchi was used to this sort of thing and was very comfortable with blood and pain. Besides being a weapon who caused these sorts of wounds in others, she was also given her life during the apex of pain: in the middle of one of the bloodiest wars this land had ever seen. She had learned early on how to handle wounds—from superficial to fatal.

"What are you thinking father?" The young nora was now wrapping the serious shoulder wound in tight bandages.

"Yaboku. He's changed..."

The nora didn't respond but silently finished bandaging the demi-god, cleaned up the bloodied clothes and came back with water and pain medicine. She held it out for Fujisaki.

"I'm fine Mizuchi. I don't need it."

"But father...it must hurt."

"It does."

He needed to remember this pain. The pain his boy had inflicted on him over that simple girl. It wasn't good. She was destroying all of Fujisaki's carefully-laid plans that he'd spent hundreds of years creating—and they all revolved around Yaboku. If the God of Calamity was swayed now, that means that all that time planning would have been for nothing.

"Mizuchi...you've tried corrupting the girl's memories before in order to make her forget yes?"

"Yes father...but she broke the spell herself."

 _Strong-willed girl._ Fujisaki thought with contempt. "You think she loves him?"

" _What?_ "

"Love." Fujisaki repeated, "Do you think that Hiyori girl loves our Yaboku?"

Mizuchi's face screwed up in disgust, giving Fujisaki an answer without any words having to be spoken.

"Unfortunate." The demi-god pursed his lips. Something would have to be done about the girl.

* * *

Yato flew through the air on the back of Bishamon's Lion Regalia.

Bishamon had appeared shortly after Fujisaki escaped and helped Yato take Hiyori back to Kofuku's place. They all agreed it would be safer than Hiyori's home.

Now, Yato was working along his former nemesis to track down his creator and put a stop to the demi-god's plans. They needed to find him and strike fast before the Fujisaki had time to recover. Who knew what he would unleash once he got his strength back? All Yato knew was that it wouldn't be good for anyone—especially not the gods.

"So you know this guy?" Bishamon turned her head slightly and almost-yelled. At the speed they were traveling, she had to yell so Yato could hear her.

"Yeah. He's my creator!"

Bishamon turned fully now and gave him a look of shock. "What?"

Yato nodded, "He wants to end the god's reign over mankind and start a new era where humans become the divine rulers. He told me about it when I was a boy."

"No...humans have a set of standards and morals! Doesn't he know how easily they would be corrupted as gods?! It would be a disaster!" Her face looked horrified at the idea.

Yato bit his lip, "I know that. But he thinks, for that very reason, that humans made into divine beings—demi-gods—would be better. Because they would know right from wrong. At least...in terms of how humans define right and wrong. He believes a god's version of morals and standards is wrong; simply because of the fact that we haven't lived mortal lives."

"But we learn from our Regalias!"

"He doesn't think that's good enough."

"Unbelievable…"Bishamon turned forward again and didn't say another word. Yato could tell she was thinking about what he had just told her.

His phone buzzed and when Yato opened it, he read the message from Hiyori:

 _Be safe. I'll be waiting._

Yato smiled but he felt a sadness tug at his heart. Who knows who he would be after this encounter with his creator? One thing he knew was that if he stayed how he was, there would be no chance in hell of defeating Fujisaki—one of the greatest warriors to have ever lived; and the one who had trained Yato himself to become a God of Calamity.

He texted back anyways,

 _I will. You stay alert too. I don't know if he'll try and come after you again._

She responded quickly,

 _Okay._

And Yato closed his flip-phone. He wanted to say so much more to her, but he couldn't think of the words. Even if he could, it was better than he kept his distance for now.

Bishamon suddenly tensed up in front of Yato, "We've got something."

They started descending into the middle of a forest. Yato recognized this place. It was the place Nora had kept him trapped and away from Hiyori and Yukine.

Yato took a deep breath and gripped Yukine.

' _Yo. Relax sweaty hands,'_ Yukine gibed.

Yato yelled back at his Regalia out loud, startling Bishamon and the Lion Regalia; but really Yato was frateful for Yukine's insults. They distracted him momentarily from his dark thoughts and he found himself relaxing a little more.

They landed on the grassy, forest floor and Yato hopped off the lion's back along with Bishamon, fully dressed in her myriad of Regalias.

The lion sniffed the air, "He's in there," the lion said before sneezing, "and he doesn't smell very good."

Bishamon stepped forward alongside Yato. Something still felt off—something she couldn't quite pinpoint—she had been having this bad feeling but she didn't know why.

Kazuma seemed to sense her hesitation, ' _Veena, please be careful.'_

Bishamon took a deep breath, "I will Kazuma. Watch my back."

' _Always.'_

And they broke down the door.


End file.
